Always Us

stolen memories

one last one for now and a little break from fluff. this was one of my fav ideas that was suggested

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For weeks, Olivia had been dreading this day while pretending not to. But the truth was, she felt guilty. She felt guilty for being anything but overjoyed. Because this day was supposed to be special. A sweet memory they'd look back on for years and years to come.

In the weeks leading up to today, she had tried to prepare. In fact, that morning, she ran through some options of what she could say, practicing with the reflection in the bathroom mirror. She had told herself that it'd be memorable. That if it was the last thing she did, she would make it perfect for him because he deserved nothing less.

But that was six hours ago.

Now, every emotion she had tried to suppress over the last few weeks was bubbling up her throat right along with her breakfast.

Wringing her hands, she paced back and forth while two sets of concerned eyes tracked her. "I don't know how to be him. I don't know how to sound like him. I don't know what he had planned to say. I—"

Laura cut in before her daughter could spiral any further. "And that's okay, honey. You're not him."

Olivia stopped in her tracks, swallowing down the lump in her throat in an attempt to minimize any chances that the tears would spontaneously combust out of her. "I just... I know that..." she sucked in her twitching lips, moving her gaze to the ceiling. Eye contact felt too overwhelming. She recited the rest at the ceiling. "I just know he had something special prepared for today. I wouldn't be surprised if he had already thought it out years ago."

Grace stepped forward. "Liv, baby. You don't need to put this kind of pressure on yourself. He's not expecting you to show up as anybody else."

Olivia's lips stretched straight across her face as the pressure threatened her tear ducts. "I don't know what to say to him. This was always supposed to be a special day, and now it's here, and I... I have nothing besides good luck."

Laura procured a tissue from her purse and dabbed at her daughter's face. "You just tell him that you love him and that you're proud of him. That's all he needs to hear."

Swiping the back of her hand along her damp cheek, Olivia nodded. Everyone around them was shuffling through the concourse to locate their seats like it was any regular, old game. They didn't have fiancés who had been working their whole lives for this. Fiancés who deserved all the support in the world.

Grace's hand squeezed her shoulder gently. "Take five minutes to pull yourself together and then go down those steps and be nobody else but Olivia Baker."

_____

The last thing Spencer did before leaving the locker room was tuck a small pair of scissors away and out of sight. Breakfast wasn't sitting well in his stomach, but he chalked it up to the game day jitters. Plus, he knew he wasn't the only one exuding nervous energy, even if the other rookies tried to deny it.

Standing in the tunnel, he gave himself a last minute pep talk. Everything he's done in life has been building up to this moment. The peewee leagues, the multiple high school transfers, college ball, the draft—they had all been stepping stones. Then there were his people who had supported him the whole way. He wouldn't be here without his mom and Dillon or Olivia and... He shook his head clear. Today wasn't the day to go there.

"You ready?"

He looked down at the helmet in his hands then back at his teammate. "Yeah, yeah."

"Let's go get 'em."